Romans Road Part One – First half of the Gospel

Romans Road Part One – First half of the Gospel

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 New International Version (NIV)

My friend Jim and I sat in my living room sharing wisdom with each other. One of the things that came up was sharing the good news or the gospel as some call it. One thing that we discussed is what the good news actually consists of. Some will tell you that the good news is that “God loves you.” But Jim and I agreed that if we only share God’s love, we have only shared half of the truth.

The thing that makes the good news good is that you and I are undeserving of God’s love. Or my way of translating this verse is to say that we have all failed to meet God’s glory standard. In other words, you don’t measure up. Neither do I.

What is God’s glory standard? I think the heart of the glory standard is explained in The Ten Commandments. The Big Ten are not ten separate commandments; they are actually one commandment with ten parts. The ten are not multiple choice either. An infraction on any one of them, and the entire ten have been broken. Be honest. Ask yourself if you have ever told a lie. Yes, white lies count as lies. Ask yourself if you have ever stolen anything? If you answered yes to these questions, then you are a lying thief…. I am a liar and a thief as well.

Do you really think we deserve God’s unmerited favor? Do you really think you and I deserve Heaven?